Risen had reported in his 2006 book State of War on the CIA’s delivery of nuclear secrets to Iran as part of a botched disinformation effort. It’s the kind of reckless bungling that citizens need to know about, but that government officials would obviously prefer to keep secret. So they tried to find the source of the embarrassing–and eminently newsworthy–leak.

This week, the Supreme Court refused to hear Risen’s appeal. This means the Times reporter must either testify or face jail to protect his sources–and the practice of independent journalism.

Your effort to compel New York Times reporter James Risen to reveal his sources is an assault on freedom of the press. Without confidentiality, journalism would be reduced to official stories–a situation antithetical to the First Amendment. We urge you in the strongest terms to halt all legal action against Mr. Risen and to safeguard the freedom of journalists to maintain the confidentiality of their sources.